Want to Buy Some Rhino Horn? It’s Legal in South Africa Again…

We’ve been posting lately on the Northern Rhino’s quick march towards extinction… There’s now just three left in the world. While there are actually several species of Rhino on the endangered list, you can once again fill that Rhino horn craving that you might have, thanks to South Africa.

Late last week, a panel of three South African Judges ended the ban on trading rhino horn. The judgement was spurred on by two of the country’s largest rhino farmers, who were upset that they couldn’t profit from the sale of their herds’ horns.

It is possible to remove a rhino’s horn without killing it, but it’s a complicated procedure that needs a veterinarian. That’s why most poachers find it easier to kill a rhino and take it’s horn rather than sedate it, and remove the horn. One of the big problems with the end of this ban is that there’s no way to tell if the horns reaching the market are coming from the farms or from the poachers.

80% of the world’s rhino population resides in South Africa and last year over 1,000 were taken out by poachers.

Thankfully, not everyone is willing to let this ruling go unnoticed. The South African Minister of Environmental Affairs plans to appeal the ruling, and a moratorium will remain in place until he gets a ruling. For their part, the rhino farmers are asking to expand the new trade allowances so that they can sell rhino horn internationally, and not just in the country.